


The Heart

by Myfangirlsidedontlie



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Mental problems probably too, Other, So be cautious please, There's talk of emotional and physical abuse, graphic depictions of injuries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:02:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25905529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myfangirlsidedontlie/pseuds/Myfangirlsidedontlie
Summary: She wakes up in the red lion with no memories, no name, and powers strong enough to tear apart entire worlds trapped just beneath her skin. Rescued by Keith, she learns about Voltron and their mission to save the universe. She has a purpose here, they tell her; she's meant for something. But how is one supposed to save the universe when they're always on the verge of falling apart?Follow Kat, a young girl with great powers, in her journey of self discovery, as she digs up her dark past and true purpose, while helping her newfound friends save the universe.
Relationships: Romance won't be a main focus tbh, Slight oc x canon character, Still deciding honestly





	1. Chapter one: beginnings

Her eyes slowly opened, her heartbeat echoing in her ears like a bass drum, the blood coursing through her veins a constant reminder of just how truly alive she was after having been asleep for so long. How long had it been since she had last been awake? She tried to move her legs, her joints uncomfortably stiff as she attempted to wake her body up. The world around her was quiet, dangerously quiet; it was as if she was the only thing alive for miles. She slumped forward, her head pressing against a smooth, cool surface, and she realized with a start that she was encased in some sort of glass pod. Her heart began to race in her chest, her rapid breathing fogging up the cool surface of the glass. The darkness seemed to press in around her, suffocating her without ever touching her. She was trapped with no escape; she could only pray that someone would come to rescue her, or else she would simply fade away into nothingness.

She gasped lightly as something hummed to life around her, releasing gentle hums to soothe her. How was she in something alive? She seemed to surrounded by metal, soft blue light filtering in, yet it was communicating with her and reacting to her emotions. How was that possible? The creature she was in thrummed underneath her feet, the glass surrounding her almost seeming to purr underneath her fingertips. She paused. Purr? It was odd to think about, but that seemed to be what the creature was doing, despite being made of metal.

'Wait, what's that sound? Is there something happening outside?' She pushed against the glass again, hoping perhaps it would open, despite knowing it wouldn't. When it again did not budge, she sighed and leaned back against the back of the pod, trying to take her mind off of her panic. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, immediately her mind thrown back into the dreams that had been flooding her mind in her slumber. Millions upon millions of lives flashed before her eyes, families laughing and playing together, quickly torn apart by war and the darkness that plagued many of the visions in her sleep. Alien warships blowing up towns, children crying as their parents were taken away to be slaves. War was not kind or just; only destructive and cruel.

'That was definitely a sound. Something's going on.' She tried yet again to steady her breathing and ease her panic, her worry quickly replaced with anger as her heart rate began to slow. She did not like being trapped like this, unable to help herself even when she knew she would need to. The creature did not respond to her emotions this time; rather, it went completely silent, any signs of life she had noticed before quickly vanishing. She felt something cold and hollow twist in her heart, a sudden sense of loneliness washing over her. Why did she suddenly feel so alone? She assumed she had a family somewhere, just waiting for her return. All she would need to do is escape and return to them. They would be waiting for her with wide smiles and open arms. She had to have someone waiting for her. Didn't she? The more she thought about it the more sick to her stomach she felt. Something was just out of her reach, barely in the back of her mind, something important that she needed to remember. Something about her family. Were they okay? Why did she suddenly feel so heartbroken and worried?

She yelped as she heard more commotion, this time much closer to her. A fight. Where were they? Why would there be fighting? Was she in danger? Did she need to figure out how to run? In the end it didn't matter; the creature sprung to life again, a sudden sense of urgency hitting her, transmitted from the creature as it sprang into action, bursting forward and catching someone before they drifted too for away to reach. So it had simply been hiding, it hadn't left her like she had thought it had. She winced as her surroundings suddenly got much brighter, the lights all coming on as a boy not much older than her sat down at what she assumed was the cockpit. She was in a ship? How could a ship be alive? It didn't make any sense. The boy did not pay her any mind, obviously having not noticed her yet. She went quiet, deciding to watch him for a little while to figure out if he was dangerous and would hurt her, using the knowledge he didn't know she was there to her advantage. 

The ship, however, had other plans. She yelped and fell forward as the glass around her suddenly vanished, the boy jumping up and spinning around to face her, pulling out a sword like weapon and pointing it at her with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. 

"Woah hold on please don't kill me!" she cried, putting her hands up, trying to stand on her shaky legs. His weapon did not lower, though his expression softened a bit, his eyes losing some of the malice they had just held.

"Who are you? How did you get on my ship?" he snapped. 

"I don't know, I wish I could answer your questions, I'm sorry. I just woke up in here not too long ago," she said quickly, finally getting to her feet. Once she was up she could feel her body begin to wake itself up, her stance much firmer and stronger than she expected.

"You woke up in here? How did you even get in here there was a forcefield around it!" he pressed. She shrugged helplessly.

"Look, I really don't know. My memory seems to be failing me right now, okay? I can't really remember anything," she said exasperatedly. He lowered his weapon. 

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his tone much kinder than before. She paused for a moment, surprised by the gentle tone, but also unsure of the answer to the question. Was she hurt? Her head hurt a bit and there were various spots along her arms and legs that stung, but none of the pain seemed very bad. 

"I think so, but it's nothing that can't be easily fixed," she said, deciding to check to see exactly was making her arms sting, taking the black jacket she was wearing off and tying it around her waist to look at her arms, which she almost immediately regretted. "...okay so maybe I was wrong about the injuries being easily fixable," she said, studying the various scars and cuts along her arms, evidence of lashes from a whip like weapon in various spots. 

"What on earth were you up to? How did you even get this far from Earth?" he asked, then seemed to backtrack. "Right, no memory. The team is just gonna love you," he said. 

"Team? Is that where we're currently going? To meet up with your team?" she asked. He nodded. 

"I'll explain everything when we get back, after we get you patched up," he said. 

"So... you're not gonna try and kill me?" she asked hesitantly. 

"No, of course not," he said hurriedly. She smiled.

"Cool, I'm glad I don't have to worry about being murdered," she said, leaning against the side of the ship. They fell into an awkward and tense silence, the boy clearly not comfortable with the whole situation. She felt the ship hum again, softly purring and she smiled, gently stroking the side of the ship fondly, feeling strangely comforted despite it being only a machine. 'A machine with feelings, apparently'.

"Is the lion communicating with you?" the boy asked, looking at her with wide eyes. 

"Oh its a lion, that would explain the purring," she said with a thoughtful nod, giggling as the lion let out a growl like sound at her.

"I better ask the princess about this," the boy muttered to himself, finally sitting back down, still muttering things under his breath thoughtfully.

"Princess? You have a princess on your team?" she asked excitedly. 

"Yeah, she's pretty cool," he said, snorting at her reaction. 

"What on earth have you dropped me in the middle of?" she asked the lion, crossing her arms. It did not reply this time and she sighed. This was going to be interesting, that's for sure.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So you just found her in the lion? And she didn't know how she got there? And then she began talking to it? I don't believe it," a woman with white hair said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, well, that's what happened," the boy said, slightly annoyed. The woman sighed. 

"We don't have time for this. Go to your lion, I'll get the castle defenses ready," the woman ordered. The boy ran off and the woman sighed again, offering her a soft smile. "I'm sorry we're meeting in such dire circumstances. I'm Princess Allura of Altea," the woman introduced. 

"Nice to meet you Princess, I'm... um... you know what I'll get back to you on that once I figure it out," she said with an awkward laugh and smile. The princess nodded with, her expression going from formal and polite to understanding. 

"I'm Coran, the ships mechanic!" a man with orange hair and an orange mustache greeted cheerfully. She smiled at him, pleasantly surprised by the positive energy he was giving off. 

"Nice to meet you Coran, that is one mighty mustache you have there," she complimented. He smiled back at her. 

"Thank you!" he said, playing with the end of his mustache with a grin. 

"Now that we've got the formalities out of the way, me and Coran must prepare for the attack. Why don't you find somewhere safe to hide?" Allura suggested, clearly trying to get her out of the way. Allura had more important things to focus on then a girl with memory problems. She nodded. 

"Sure, right, don't wanna be in the way," she said, walking towards the doorway. Before she made it through a large explosion was heard and she yelped, bursting into a run. Her heart raced in her chest as she searched for some kind of safe room to hide out in, finally settling on what looked like an empty bedroom. She dove inside and threw herself onto the bed, wrapping her arms around herself as more explosions sounded. There was something else pulsing in her chest, something soft and quiet and constant, though she paid it no mind in her panic, the alarms of warning screaming at her in her head much louder then the softness in her chest. She sat up and pressed her back against the wall, pulling her knees up to her chest and closing her eyes. She needed to focus. She needed to breathe.

She whimpered as another explosion hit, and a voice in her head scolded her for letting herself be so scared and letting her guard down. She needed to toughen up, to be strong so she could protect someone. Who was she protecting? Why did it feel so important to protect them in the first place? Another explosion sounded, though this time she was less startled as she was too lost in her own thoughts to react too much. There was someone she needed to protect, so where were they? Had she left them alone? What was happening to them right now? Were they okay? Were they even still alive?

Something strong and urgent tugged at her chest, urging her to notice it. As much as she desperately to figure out who it was, it would have to wait. There was something she needed to do right now. What was it? She wasn't entirely sure. It clearly wasn't something for her strength, and she wasn't needed in combat in another ship. Yet the pull was constant; there was something she was needed for, something that she needed to do right now. 

'The lion. I can feel the lion again. It's distressed. What does it want from me?' She opened her eyes and ran back into the giant room she had left the princess and Coran in, freezing in place, her eyes wide as she looked at the fight happening in front of her just outside the castles failing shield system. The boy's team and their lions were not fairing well; they were caught in some sort of tractor beam, being pulled in by a dark, dark evil, even the ship that was pulling them in radiating something sick and twisted, making her stomach twist unpleasantly. The castle itself was not doing any better; one more hit and they would be done for. 'What am I supposed to do?!' 

The tugging in her chest increased to the point where it was beginning to burn and force her forward. She looked down at her chest and gasped, her eyes wide as she realized that the tugging feeling in her chest wasn't from nothing. Soft light bloomed from her chest, having gone from gentle and warm to hot and ready to blow. It was whispering to her, urging her to help the team stuck in the sky. She was meant to help them somehow, it insisted. She took a long, deep breath in and closed her eyes, listening to her instincts, in her mind reaching towards the heat in her chest. The world around her fell out of focus as a new reality settled in, one seen only in her mind; there were streams of light all around her, colorful bursts of life surrounding her and going in all directions, stretching off endlessly. Deciding now was not the time to be playing detective and trying to figure out what exactly was going on, she decided to follow where the tugging feeling led, drifting towards the brightest lights not too far away from her. She knew without needing to even guess that it was the team the boy had spoken about. Their streams kept drifting towards each other then away again, as if they were trying and failing to come together. She took another deep breath in and stood in the center of the ten streams, the streams for both the boys and the lions beginning to swirl around her like a whirlwind of colors. The faster the streams swirled around her the brighter they became, leaving her feeling dizzy and blinded. And yet...

She couldn't look away, not even as the streams all shot into her a once, newfound strength and energy hitting her like a train. She felt warm all over, pure power contained just under her finger tips. She felt the light in her chest grow, and at that moment she realized that she was not the one absorbing the power. She was the one giving it. How was that possible? She put her hands over her chest and the energy exploded, surging out around her, the light streams all coming together to form a shape that she did not quite recognize. Her vision began to blur, her knees going weak as the energy continued to swirl around her. She was giving too much; if she held on much longer she would tear herself apart. The last thing she saw before her vision went black was streams finally coming together to form the outline of a giant robotic warrior, the very same one she had seen in her dreams. And in an instant, everything was gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She sat up with a groan, Coran by her side with a worried frown on his face as she slowly sat up. 

"Princess, she's awake!" Coran said, relieved, waving the princess over. The princess rushed to her side, bending down next to her with a relieved smile. 

"I'm glad you're awake. You seemed to have passed out in the middle of the battle, missing the boys forming Voltron and defeating the Galra ship," Allura said. She frowned. 

"What's Voltron? Who are the Galra?" she asked dazedly. 

"I'll explain it soon. For now, let's go and congratulate the team on a job well done," Allura said, standing up. "Can you stand?"

She shakily got to her feet, her body feeling weak, and smiled. "Yeah, I'm alright, Princess," she said, following behind the princess, holding onto Coran as they walked outside, still a little out of it from what had happened. What was that? Why did she feel so weak and tired? Had she just suddenly fallen asleep again? If so then why was she dreaming about giant robot warriors made out of light? It didn't make any sense.

"Good work Paladins!" Allura said as they approached the team. Paladins? What kind of a title was that? What did they need Paladins for? Were they fighting in the war? Was that why the ship attacked them? What had they done to deserve being attacked? What on earth was the war for?

"Thanks pretty lady!" a boy in blue armor said with a grin. She studied the team, feeling her heart ache in a weirdly fond and worried way as she noticed how exhausted they all were. It was a rough fight, she knew, even if she didn't get to see almost any of it.

"We did it," a man dressed in black armor with a scar across his nose said, removing his helmet with a soft smile. 

"Heck yeah we did," the boy from before agreed, also taking off his helmet, matching the man's smile. 

"How did we do it?" the man with the scar said with a soft smile on his face.

"I was just, like, screaming the whole time. Maybe that did it," a boy dressed in yellow armor joked, taking his helmet off. The shortest boy removed his helmet, frowning at the ground, something clearly bothering him, though she didn't know exactly what. She wanted to comfort him, despite not knowing him, for some reason understanding the look of sadness in his eyes. The scar faced man put a gentle hand on the shortest boy's shoulder.

"We're not gonna stop searching until we find your brother and father," the scar faced man reassured the shortest boy. "Wherever they are, I know they'd be proud of you," he finished. The short boy gave him a soft smile. 'So he must be the leader, then. He's got the right personality for it, he's gonna take good care of the boys.'

"We won the battle, but the war has only just begun. I'm afraid Zarkon will not stop until he gets these lions," the princess said. She frowned. Zarkon? Who was that? Did he start this war? Her fists clenched. How dare he do this. He was hurting so many people, she would not let him get away with it.

"Good thing you paladins know what you're doing, because you're going to have to form Voltron again and again," Coran said. Another new word, one the princess had mentioned before. What was Voltron? Why did the name seem so familiar yet so foreign at the same time? Her head was beginning to hurt from all this new information.

"Totally. Wait, what?" the yellow boy said. The whole team looked at each other with puzzled expressions. 

"We barely survived forming Voltron this one time," Lance said, frowning. 

"And you only had to fight one ship. Wait until you have to fight a whole fleet of them! It's not going to be easy being the Defenders of the Universe," Coran said. The team looked at each other worriedly, still confused. 'Defenders of the Universe, on the backs of them? They're still so young, that's not fair to them.'

"Defenders of the Universe, huh? That's got a nice ring to it," the scar faced man said, smiling. The rest of the team smiled as well, looking at their lions. She followed their gaze, studying each lion, feeling the warmth pulse in her chest once again. 

"Woah! Blondie, you're glowing!" the boy from before said, looking at her worriedly. Everyone turned her attention to her as she looked down at her glowing chest.

"I feel fine," she said, lightly touching her chest with a worried frown. The glowing slowly faded and she sighed softly in relief. "Right, okay, now that I've stopped looking like I swallowed a glowstick, can someone explain to me what's happening here?" she asked anxiously. The scar faced man smiled softly at her. 

"I'm Shiro, and this is my team," he greeted, his voice gentle, probably in hopes of easing some of her anxiousness.

"I'm Pidge," the short one greeted with a small smile. 

"The names Lance," the tall blue one said with a wink, making her roll her eyes with a smile. 

"Oh, yeah! My names Hunk," the yellow one said with an apologetic smile. 

"And I'm Keith," the boy from before said with a small smile. 

"Hello everyone! I would offer you my name but unfortunately I don't know what it is at the moment," she greeted, taking a second to calm herself down, knowing what came out next would only make her feel worse. "So, now that I know all of your names, who is Zarkon, what is Volron, where am I, and if you guys know why I'm here that would also be nice to know because now that I'm just sitting here thinking about it I'm kind of starting to panic a little bit," she said, speaking much more quickly the she had originally intended to. Shiro stepped forward and put a gentle hand on her shoulder, making the tenseness in her shoulders fade from such a gentle and kind action. 

"It's going to be okay, we'll help you figure it out. Zarkon is an evil alien lord who is trying to take over the universe, and Voltron is a giant weapon controlled by us that we're using to stop him. Voltron is created when these five lions combine," Shiro explained, keeping his voice gentle and even. 

"He's trying to take over the universe? How is someone even supposed to do that? The universe is huge!" she exclaimed, waving her arms around to emphasize her point. "I mean with its immense size, especially compared to a single race, it would be impossible, that's just... so much space to cover and species to defeat..." she trailed off, remembering the visions from her sleep, her arms falling to her sides as her stomach sank. Zarkon must be the leader of the alien race destroying everything that she saw in the visions. All those lives and families being torn apart...

"Well he's certainly trying," Allura said, an angry and determined expression on her face. "He destroyed my planet and family, we must stop him," she said. 

"Well of course," she said, her expression going soft as she looked at Allura. "I would never say we shouldn't stop him. But back to my questions. Where are we? How far away are we from home?" she asked, looking back at the rest of the team with worried eyes. 

"We're on the planet Arus! Earth is very far away," Coran interjected helpfully.

"That's... very specific," she said sarcastically, then sighed. "Alright then, I guess that means I'm not getting much more information then that. That just leaves figuring out why I'm here, how I woke up in the red lion, and who the hell I am," she said.

"You really don't remember who you are?" Pidge asked. She shook her head. 

"Nope. I don't remember a name, an age, where I'm from, nothing. Everything is really scrambled up in here," she said, tapping her temple. "I only really have small bits and pieces, things that I can feel are there and that I should know that I'm just not getting. That kind of thing," she explained. 

"Well, we can't just leave you to your own devices. Should we come up with a name for you? Just so we have something to call you," Hunk suggested. 

"It definitely would be weird to go on without having a name," she agreed. The team went quiet, all thinking for a moment.

"Kat?" Pidge suggested hesitantly. She shrugged. 

"If that works for you guys then sure, Kat it is," she said. The name felt odd to say, so she knew it was not her real name, but it was a cute name, so it would have to do for now. 

"So, Kat, is there anything you remember? Anything at all?" Shiro asked. She thought for a moment. There was very little she could piece together, especially after everything that had happened, but there was something that kept popping up, something she couldn't ignore, something important and true. 

"Just a face, mostly," she admitted. 

"Someone you know, then. Do you know who it is?" Shiro asked. She thought for a moment once again, concentrating on pulling up anything in her mind that might indicate who it was. Her eyes drifted down to the marks all over her arms, the face coming up again, met with great fear and worry. 

"Someone close to me. Someone really important, I can feel it. She's young, much younger than me. She has my eyes..." she trailed off, lightly touching one of the lashes on her arm. She winced and gasped, the pain flaring up, then gasped, her arms falling to her side again. 

There she was. Eyes wide and filled with tears, her body thin and pale. Her own voice shouting at her to stay back. Fear in her eyes as a whip lashed at her skin. All she could think of was safe, safe, keep her safe, keep her away, keep her safe. Anything to keep her safe. She could hear I love you come from her own mouth. I love you, stay safe. Those eyes, those eyes filled with hurt and tears, but that was okay, because she would be able to live another day, to have another chance to make it back home. 'I love you and stay safe.'

"Kat?" Keith said, waving a hand in her face. She blinked quickly, bringing herself back into focus.

"I know who she is," she whispered, then raised her voice so the others could hear. "The face I keep seeing, the little girl. She's my sister. I have a sister! She's... she's..." she trailed off, her eyes drifting to the marks, the memory playing over and over in her mind. 

"She's what? Are you gonna finish any of your statements here, Kat?" Keith said, slightly annoyed and slightly worried.

"Keith I left her alone, she's where I was she's- she's not safe Keith I was whipped there she's too young to make it on her own I need to find her I need to get to her," she blurted. The team exchanged worried glances and she sighed. They're tired. She's tired. "I'm sorry. We'll figure this out later. We need to get some rest," she said quietly, before turning away and walking back inside without waiting for an answer. She could hear protests from the rest of the team, calling for her, asking her to come back, telling her everything would be okay. But how would they know? How could they possibly know if her sister was okay?  
That night as she got ready for bed, she mulled over her new situation, tossing and turning as her new reality finally began to settle in. Giant alien warships, flying lions, glowing chests and dreams filled with color and magic? What on earth had she gotten herself thrown in to?


	2. Chapter two: discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She is left to her own devices in the castle, discovering some very well kept secrets as well as more questions when all she wants is some answers

She felt her heart leap into her throat as alarms blared through castle speakers, Allura's voice sounding throughout the castle in warning. There was another battle already? What should she do? Should she just hide and stay out of the way? I should stay put and stay safe until the battle's over. I don't want to pass out and worry Coran and Allura again. She shakily sat up, gently removing the blanket and taking a moment to breathe in hopes of stopping her body from shaking. She felt too exposed even in the safety of what had been dubbed 'her room', left with nothing to defend herself and nowhere to run to. The outside world could be cruel, she had been told this many times in her life, she was sure of it, and she alone could not fight back against it.

She let out a long, shaky sigh when the alarms finally stopped blaring, whatever the threat had been apparently now gone. She shakily stood from her bed, stretching and trying to will herself into being calmer so she wasn't a shaking emotional mess when she rejoined the group. While she waited for her body to shake a little less, she took the time to study her appearance in a nearby mirror, trying to distract herself from her terrifying new reality. Her hair was dirty blonde and in waves, tangled up from her sleep. Her face had light cuts on it, taking away from the freckles that were dusted across her cheekbones and nose bridge. Her eyes, the eyes she shared with her little sister, were dark grey, like stormclouds, with the lightest hints of blue if you looked closely. She couldn't bare to look at the wounds that covered her arms so she focused more on what she was wearing, a simple black v-neck t-shirt and a pair of thin black leggings, worn black combat boots finishing off the outfit. The jacket, now that she looked at it, had some sort of design on the back, something that made her happy even though she couldn't remember what the design was for. Perhaps something she was interested in on her time on Earth, and by the looks of it, something music related. A band, perhaps? 

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, a nervous tick she wasn't aware she had until now. She did this a few more times, this time to make her hair a bit more neat, and decided that perhaps now would be a good time to see what exactly had happened while she had stayed hidden inside of her room. 

She quietly walked through the hallways of the castle, figuring if the team were to meet up somewhere, it would be in the control room that she had passed out in the other day. It was oddly quiet now that the alarms weren't going off, and despite being thankful for a bit of peace, she felt uncomfortable as the silence settled in around her. That same ache in her chest returned and she was painfully reminded just how alone she was here. Of course there was the team, who she was sure, or at least hopeful, she would befriend, but there was a whole world she had left behind, and she wanted desperately to return and live her life the way it was before, whatever that life may have been.

When she entered the control room, all eyes turned to her, guilt gripping at her chest as she saw the worried and angered expressions of her crew members. It seems she had walked in right as the team had gotten ready to head out.

"...good morning," she said with an awkward smile. The room was quiet for a moment, before Shiro, having noticed the tension, let out a soft sigh and smiled softly at her. 

"Good morning. Did you sleep okay?" he asked. She nodded. 

"Yeah, I did," she said, still waiting for the scolding she could see was coming. She could tell by the look on Allura's face that she was close to bursting. 

"Why did it take you so long to come in? We got a little worried," Shiro said, also having noticed Allura's agitation. She looked down, her hands gripping her opposite arms. 

"I figured that if an attack was happening it would be best if I stayed out of the way until the attack was over, so I waited until the alarms stopped going off," she explained. Shiro nodded. 

"I understand, but it would be better to know you're okay in a situation like that, especially since Coran mentioned you passed out yesterday," Shiro said. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, some concerned, some curious, others, mainly Allura, still annoyed.

"I understand. I’m sorry," she said. 

"Now that that's over with, boys, head out to your lions. You need to train as much as possible. I need to have a chat with Kat here," Allura said. The boys all nodded and walked past her, Shiro giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he went by, the rest simply waving at her or giving her a friendly look. As soon as the boys were out of sight, Allura walked over to her and gave her a stern look. She winced, expecting to be yelled at. Instead, Allura simply studied her, taking in all her features, before turning away to speak to the boys, then returning again.

"Is everything alright, princess?" she asked once Allura returned. She sighed. 

"Remember when you passed out the other day?" she started, still studying her as if she were some kind of code she needed to crack. 

"Of course," she said. "Again, sorry 'bout that."

"That's not what's important right now," Allura said. "Right before you passed out something odd was happening. I don't think it's very common for humans to glow," she said. Her eyes widened. That pull in her chest, the dream, her chest glowing again afterwards. What was happening to her? Did it have to do with how she was supposed to help the team? How did any of it make sense?

"You would be correct, humans are not supposed to glow. I'm honestly not sure why it's happening," she admitted. Allura nodded.

"And you have no idea why this would be happening?" Allura asked. She shook her head. 

"Unfortunately, no. Like I said, this isn't normal for humans, and I also don't remember much, so I have no theories about how or why it could be happening," she admitted.

"We'll talk about this later. For now, I must do some work on the castle to make sure all it's systems are operational," Allura said, heading to the control panel. While the princess busied herself, Coran approached her with a friendly smile. 

"So, I've noticed that you've got some wounds on your arms, and I wanted to patch them up for you!" he said. She looked at her arms, then at Coran with a smile. 

"Sure, have at 'em. They've been nothing but a pain since I woke up anyway," she said, having now noticed the constant sting in her arms and in her legs, though she decided she would take care of the wounds on her legs herself later on. Best not to stress out the crew when they already have so much on their plate.

"Great! Follow me," he said, leading her away from the control room. She followed behind him, humming softly to herself, trying to distract herself from the pain now that it seemed to be all she could focus on. Coran led her through a couple hallways until they reached a room filled with pods not unlike the one she had woken up in not too long ago. There were people already inside several of them, asleep and slowly being healed. She paused. 

"Am I going to have to go inside one of those?" she asked, fear beginning to grip her chest. The first time she had been inside a pod she hadn't been able to get herself out until someone else let her escape. Would it be the same with this pod? She didn't like the idea of being trapped and passed out again, especially with the threat of attacks. She frowned. No. She would be safer in one of these if there was an attack. 

"Only for a little while," Coran said brightly. "You'll be fine." She let out a soft sigh, walking towards Coran and stepping inside the pod he was next to. 

"This thing won't trap me, right? I'll be able to get out if I need to?" she asked Coran. 

"You'll be released as soon as you're healed," he explained brightly. 

"That didn't answer my question," she said, before the pod closed around her, the chamber being filled with some sort of gas, her eyelids beginning to droop until she passed out, the pod beginning to mend the wounds covering her body as visions slowly began to fill her mind

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The room she was in was pitch black, something warm pressed tightly against her side, breathing softly in the deafening silence. She knew without being able to see who it was immediately; her little sister curled up to sleep for the night. Others were nearby as well, mostly keeping their distance from the two sisters; she hadn't known it at the time, but those around her could sense something powerful woven deep within her bones, as if someone had trapped a hurricane inside her skin, waiting for the right moment to release hell onto the world. Sleep didn't come easy to her anymore, despite the lingering exhaustion always seeping into her very bones. She had to stay alert; she had to do whatever it took to keep her little sister safe. Nothing in the whole universe mattered more than that.

Her little sister began whimpering in her sleep, her hand immediately reaching to gently stroke her little sister's hair to the rhythm of a lullaby she always hummed when her little sister had trouble falling asleep. Even those who did not know who she was would listen in as she sang her lullabies; her voice was one of the only soft and gentle things to be found while imprisoned by the Galra. She made sure to keep her voice low to not disturb anyone outside; she did not know why, but the Galra were particularly fond of interrogating her and trying to get her to unlock some special power she didn't think she even had, so anytime they knew she was awake, they would come and take her away, leaving her little sister unprotected and leading her to what she knew would be excruciating pain.

She went quiet as footsteps began approaching their cell, instinctively pulling her little sister closer to her chest and lying down, closing her eyes and praying they would leave her be, if only for the night. Unfortunately luck was not on her side that night; without even checking to see if she was already awake, they burst into the cell and grabbed her by her arms and, to her horror, her little sister as well. They dragged them down a hallway, her legs still weak from the previous day's events, her little sister whimpering softly behind her. The sound made her heart twist painfully, tears pricking her eyes from the terrified noises coming from the one person most precious to her.

"What are you going to do to us?" she asked weakly. The guards carrying her did not reply, simply continuing on their way to a room she knew very well now; they were taking them to the room where they interrogated her on a daily basis. It felt as if someone had forcefully grabbed her heart and poured ice into her blood, sheer terror coursing through her veins. They must be getting tired of getting no answers out of her, so they were using whatever leverage they had on her to get her to talk. Exhaustion, anger, and fear hit her all at once, a pained sob leaving her throat without her meaning it to. Their was no response from the guards yet again, though she was sure that they would note this and try and use it against her. They had found her weakest point now. What were they going to do to her? Would they really torture a child? Of course they would. Whatever it is they want from me, they want it bad. But I don't know what it is, there's no way I can save her from this.

What have I done?

The guards threw them both into the room with careless aim, her little sister landing on top of her, both of them releasing grunts of pain. Inside was someone who she had dreaded seeing again; the witch lady the Galra used to get information and do dirty work, Haggar. 

"What do you want?" she snapped weakly, her arms wrapping around her little sister protectively. Haggar let out a dry laugh. 

"What I always want. You will use your gifts to aid the Galra in their conquering of the universe," Haggar said coldly. Her grip around her little sister tightened, fear shooting through her veins. This was it. It was over for her little sister. She had no good answer; no retort that would save them, not even something that had finally clicked inside of her head as she became more desperate to keep them safe. There was nothing she could do. 

"I've already told you," she said, her voice coming out strained as her throat closed up from emotion. "I don't know what these gifts your talking about are," she finished, tears welling up in her eyes. Something in Haggar's eyes darkened. 

"Your refusal has left me no choice," Haggar said, a sneer coming onto her face. All at once guards burst in, a few pinning her down while two others pulled her little sister out of her arms, her little sister kicking and screaming while tears began streaming down her cheeks. She tried to break out of the guards grips but it was no use. Haggar lifted her arms, ready to strike. 

Thats when she snapped. Something inside of her finally broke free, her chest beginning to feel like it was burning from the inside as she threw the guards off of her with strength she hadn't known she had. Haggar's eyes widened and her arms dropped to her sides as she quickly disappeared. The door behind them closed, alarms blaring as she walked towards her little sister. Her little sister's eyes were wide and horrified as she reached for her. 

"Stay away from me!" her little sister screeched. Her eyes widened and she took a step back, looking down at her chest, which was glowing as if she had swallowed the sun itself.

Use your power. Use your gifts. You are special; you are powerful, and we want to use you. 

"No," she said, backing away from her little sister. "No, they can't be right, this can't be happening," she said, her body beginning to shake all over. She could hear footsteps beginning to approach, too many too count, the sound almost drowned out by the pounding of her heart.

Just as the guards burst through the door, an earth shattering roar was heard in the distance, right before her whole world went black.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She gasped and fell forward, the pod disappearing around her as her knees gave out. A strange sense of vertigo settled in her stomach as she hit the floor. She shakily tried to stand, the stinging that had been never ending since she was waken up now vanished, replaced by a new pain that was deep in her chest. She could hardly breathe the feeling was so intense. There was no one around her, at least that was awake, to help her, so she was left gasping on the floor for a little while. 

Eventually the shaking slowed down and she was able to stand upright again. She still felt sick, which was odd to her, having just gotten out of a healing pod. Perhaps she needed to eat? She realized she hadn't exactly talked to Coran about what she was supposed to do when she woke up. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly and made her way to where she heard the others laughing and playing around. She took a deep breath, hoping that she didn't look as sick as she felt. She walked into a dining room like area, where the team was all covered in goo, laughing and playing together. She narrowly dodged a glob of goo that came her way as she walked in, nearly falling over as she did so. 

"What on earth is happening?" she asked, yelping as another glob soared dangerously close to her face.

"You've just walked into the middle of a food war," Keith said with a smirk. She giggled, though her reaction was only half hearted. 

"Well, pardon me then, I think I should just go lie down," she said with a tired smile, turning away, oddly comforted knowing they were all happy and well.

That's all I want, isn't it? For the people I care about to be happy and well. The team, even though I'm still getting to know them, for some reason mean a lot to me. How odd, how I become too attached to people after knowing them for so little time. 

"Kat, where are you going? Aren't you going to join?" Lance asked, now also smirking, though there was concern in his eyes as she turned around to face him.

"No, sorry guys. I'm not feeling super great," she admitted. She felt guilt beginning to build up inside her gut, making her shift uncomfortably. She hated how the smiles immediately faded when she said that. "I'm fine guys, you continue doing what you're doing," she said, turning away yet again, beginning to walk away. She heard them begin talking again, Allura's curt voice cutting through and telling them to continue with their training, leaving her feeling strangely hollow. She didn't want to bother them, so why did it hurt even more just walking away? Emotions are a funny thing, aren't they? 

She sat down on her bed with a sigh, the dream playing over and over again in her head despite how much she tried to will it to go away. The fear in her sister's eyes, Haggar and those dangerous eyes, the shear panic and terror that had hit her as Haggar threatened to hurt something so precious to her, even the thought of losing her made her want to break down and cry. And where was she now? Was she okay? Did Haggar simply let her live now that she wasn't there to get information out of? Haggar had no reason to keep her little sister locked up, though she knew it was too much to hope for that she would have been released. But at least, she hoped that Haggar would chose someone else to torture. She shook her head. No, I shouldn't wish for Haggar to hurt anyone. Anyone but me. I can take it, I've taken it before, but everyone else... would they make it? 

At some point her chest began to softly glow again, the feeling warm and gentle, much less intense then the day before. She could feel something buzzing beneath her skin, something calling to her, pushing her to find her purpose. They needed her? Now of all times? What on earth did they need her for? Weren't they just trying to form Voltron? She grabbed her pillow and pressed it to her chest, hiding the soft glow. She was too tired to try and figure out why it was glowing now or why the team would need her. After all, wasn't she sort of useless? The feeling eventually faded and she let out a soft sigh of relief.

She didn't know how much time passed after that but eventually, someone came to the door, knocking softly on it, probably checking to see if she was awake or not. 

"Come in," she called out softly. The door opened up and she looked over to see Shiro standing in the doorway, a concerned frown on his face. 

"Everything okay?" he asked, his voice gentle. She nodded. 

"I'm fine, Shiro. It's probably an aftereffect from being in the pod," she said with a weak smile. He sighed. 

"You don't seem very comfortable being around the team. Is there something bothering you? Anything at all," he pressed. Oh, he thinks I'm distancing myself. Am I?

"...I had this crazy dream when I was in the pod," she started slowly. "Except it wasn't a dream. It was a memory, I think, and not a pleasant one at that. I was with my little sister and she was having trouble sleeping so I was singing to her to get her to calm down when the guards came for us and somehow I knew that they were coming to hurt us, they wanted something from me, and I didn't know what it was which meant I knew there was nothing I could do to keep her safe, and I was right they were going to hurt her and I panicked and then I started glowing and her eyes... her eyes, Shiro, she was so scared, she was scared of me, and... and that's all there was. She was gone," she said, her words coming out rushed, some of them grouped together. She was shaking again; her breathing was uneven. Shiro walked over and sat down on the bed next to her, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

"Do you know when it happened, or if your sister ended up being safe?" he asked. She shook her head. 

"My best guess would be it was the last thing that happened before the red lion found me, but what happens afterwards is still unclear. It's the only thing I can remember clearly," she said. He nodded. 

"She's going to be okay, Kat. She's got a little bit of you in her," he said with a gentle smile. She sighed. 

"I don't even know if she's still alive right now. I want to believe she's okay and is just hiding until I can find her, but for all I knew Haggar could have killed her the second she lost me. I'm the one she wanted, and without me there... what else was keeping her alive?" she said, her chest feeling hollow as tears pricked her eyes. She wiped her face quickly. "I'm sorry, I'm sure you've had a long day, you must be tired," she said. 

"You're a part of the team too, Kat. I'm the leader, I'm supposed to be looking out for you too," he said. She sniffled and wiped her face again. 

"You shouldn't have to," she stated stubbornly. "I just need to get stronger, to be tougher. I need to be strong if there's any hope of getting her back," she said. Shiro sighed. 

"You're just going to stress yourself out by thinking like that," he said and she let out a choked laugh. 

"Yeah, I know, and knowing that's been a great help of stopping it," she said, immediately feeling guilty. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. That was uncalled for, you're just trying to help," she said quietly. 

"You're emotional, it's okay. You seem like you've had a rough day, you should probably get some rest," Shiro said, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. Without really thinking about it, she threw her arms around him. Shiro hugged her back gently, clearly not sure of what to do with her, just going with what she was doing. 

"Thank you, Shiro. It's been kinda rough, I'm glad you're here. The team needs someone like you," she said, pulling away. She hadn't really wanted to pull away, it had been a while since she had gotten a hug from another person without the threat of death hanging above her head, especially not someone like Shiro, who made her think of a dad. He had that sense of protectiveness and kindness in him, which was evident in the way he looked at the team. 

"That's what I'm here for," he said. "Now get some rest, you need it." She nodded and he gave her one last gentle smile, before standing up and walking away. 

She set her jacket on a hook, stretching a bit before settling down in her bed, her eyes drooping until drifting off yet again, this time into a quiet, dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my beautiful shooting stars!!! I hope you like this chapter! Please feel free to shoot me any comments on corrections! I know the story is moving a little slowly, I promise things will begin to move forward soon.


	3. Chapter three: Discovery of the heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bored and alone, she wanders through the castle, discovering something secret that had been long forgotten be even the Princess herself

Her eyes slowly opened, soft light filtering in through a window she hadn't noticed she had as she groggily sat up and stretched. The sick feeling from the day before was gone, at least for now, leaving her feeling the best she had felt in what seemed like forever. She tied her jacket around her waist, yawning and stretching out her legs, feeling a little giddy about how the pain that had been with her for who knows how long was now finally gone. 

As she walked down the hallways of the castle, she couldn't help but notice how quiet it was, the rest of the team off doing whatever they needed to do to prepare themselves for the battles they all knew were inevitable. She realized then that she wasn't exactly sure what to do with herself, having no real role in the fight, save for whatever was going on with her glowing chest. She didn't exactly know how she was supposed to find out more about it, and other then exploring the weird glow, she had nothing else she could really do. They didn't need more fighters, or people working on the castle. She was... useless, at least for the time being. So much for helping out the team.

She sighed and was about to continue to walk down the hallway with no real destination in mind, when she felt a soft tug coming from her chest, not unlike the tug she had felt before her chest began glowing. She looked down and saw that thankfully, her chest looked normal, yet the tug was insistent; there was something she had to do, somewhere she had to be. Well, I've got nothing better to do. She began to go where the invisible force was pulling her, wherever that destination might be. She slowly made her way through parts of the castle she had not seen before; hallways that lead into rooms she hadn't known were there, filled with mystery and ancient tech that despite it's old age seemed to be much more advanced then what Earth had. 

Eventually, she found herself standing in front of a door. The door looked like every other door in the castle, except for one thing. This particular door had strange markings on it, markings that could be found nowhere else in the castle as far as she could tell. On the door, the five lions were carved into the smooth metal, the lions all surrounding a central shape, the shape of a woman radiating light. The door looked like it had almost never been touched; there were no grooves on the ground from where the door would have slid if it were frequently used. She reached her hand out and touched the door curiously, yelping as the door suddenly burst to life, the markings all glowing under her touch. She pulled her hand away and the glowing did not fade; instead, the door slid open smoothly, a dark hallway stretching beyond the doorway. The tugging in her chest pulled her forward, voices whispering to her to explore the darkness. Something was waiting for her on the other side. This is going to be the stupidest thing I’ve ever done, isn’t it? She shook her head, took a deep breath in, slowly let it out, and walked inside. 

The hallway was chilly as she made her way through the darkness, using that soft gentle pull to guide her even when she could not see where she was going. She shivered lightly and put her jacket on, wrapping her arms around herself. Eventually the hallway ended and a small chute appeared, soft blue light pulsing around it. It called out to her, whispering for her to jump inside and see what was waiting on the other end. Whatever she was missing, whatever she didn't understand was waiting on the other side of the chute. She took another deep breath in, slowly letting it out and slipped inside of the chute, despite the opposing voice in her head telling her this was all crazy and that she shouldn’t follow her every impulse.

She let out a delighted laugh as she slid down the chute, the same pulsing blue light illuminating her way as she slid down into a dimly lit room below. The speed she was sliding was exhilarating; she felt as if she were as young and innocent as she was back on Earth, simply enjoying the world around her. I’m remembering a little more! She was buzzing with anticipation as she slide down the chute, finally an answer when all she had was questions! There would be something to work with, a place to start at so she could find out what exactly was happening to her. 

When she hit the bottom, she let out a gasp, her eyes landing on what looked like orange paladin armor after they ednusted to the dim lighting. How could there be more armor? Why was this room so hidden? She lightly touched the armor, that same tug in her chest urging her to put it on. Just try it on, it told her. It's been waiting for you. After a moment of standing there and trying to decide whether she was crazy or not, she finally gave in and took her jacket off, carefully putting the armor on, pleasantly surprised when she found it fit her perfectly. She grinned and moved around a bit, stretching and testing out the armor, feeling it was much more comfortable then she thought it would be. She giggled happily, tying her jacket around her waist and plopping herself down in the nearby chair, an odd place to keep a chair now that she thought about it. Why on earth would someone need a chair in here? Who would come in here anyway?

Before she could think much more into it, the chair began to move, then room lighting up all around her, the sudden change in lightning making her wince. It moved forward with great speed, a startled yelp escaping her lips as it led her down a tunnel, pulling her with it against her will. Whatever this room was for, this would lead her to the answer, or she hoped it would. Otherwise she would have just wasted her time searching a room. She gripped the chair tightly, a plush chair with a slanted back rest and low armrests, her heart pounding in her chest as it pulled her closer to it's destination. 

Wait, it's leading me to something that feels familiar. It's not the red lion, it doesn't have the same feel to it. But it's something similar, like one of the other lions. Is that where it's taking me? She didn't have to wait long to find the answer. She had apparently caught the boys at just the right time, because the chair slid through a slot right through the black lion, settling itself in the chest piece before the door closed behind her, leaving her stuck inside. She shakily let go of the chair's armrests, looking out of the small window she was given. What have I done now?!

"Hey, guys?" she called out shakily, realizing now that since she now had a helmet, she could use it to communicate with the team, and in her panic, now seemed like the perfect time to try and get their attention.

"Hey, Kat! Allura let you use the intercom at the castle?" Lance greeted cheerfully, apparently delighted that she decided to speak with them. 

"Actually, no. I'm kind of... stuck. Inside the black lion, I think. It feels like the black lion. Do you guys know what's going on?" she asked, her voice shaky. 

"Stuck? Inside the black lion? Hang tight, we'll figure this out," Shiro said, his voice calm and reassuring through the intercom. 

"How did you even get in there?" Keith asked, sounding dumbfounded and concerned. 

"I found a door that had weird markings on it so I went inside and then I found a chute and so I went down it and I found this weird room with paladin armor inside and I put it on and everything was fine until I sat in a chair and then the chair pulled me forward and eventually pulled me inside the black lion and now I don't know how to get out again," she said, her words rushed, some of them grouping together, making her almost impossible to understand.

"None of that made any sense. What were you thinking? I don't understand why you even did half of that," Keith said irritably. She sighed. 

"Yeah well it made more sense in my head while I was doing it. It felt like something was calling me, you know? Like it was where I was meant to go. So I just kept following that feeling and now I'm here," she said. 

"You're just becoming more and more strange, aren't you?" Lance said. She sighed. 

"Yeah, well, I don't seem to have much choice in how strange I am," she said, shaking her head. "Trust me if I could be normal, I would, but unfortunately I don't seem to be able to control the fact that I randomly start glowing in times of distress," she said. 

"Let's stop telling her how strange she is and try and figure out how to get her out of there, and hopefully find out how she got in," Pidge said. 

"Right now? When we're supposed to be training and forming Voltron? Allura's not gonna be happy," Hunk said worriedly. She sighed again. 

"You're right. You guys should focus on that for right now, it's more important. We need to make sure you can keep the planet safe, and Voltron is how you're going to do it. I'm not in any sort of danger or anything, trust me. You guys do what you need to do," she said, not really enjoying the fact that she would have to be stuck with no way out, trying to hide the fact that all she wanted them to do was get her out of there so she could be free again. The more she sat there and thought about her confinement, the more anxious she became.

"Kat, we shouldn't just leave you in there," Shiro said sternly. 

"I'm fine, Shiro. It's actually really cozy in here, which is helping distract me from my panic of being trapped," she said leaning back in the chair, swinging her dangling legs in the front, hoping the panic she was feeling wasn’t evident in her voice. Whoever this chair was made for, they were much taller and wider then she was. She felt small sitting there, like a child sitting in a throne they hadn't grown in to yet. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" Shiro asked. 

"I'm sure. You guys need to focus. I'll just try and relax," she said hurriedly. She heard Shiro sigh, before he began giving orders to the rest of the team. She felt the lions begin to move, life pulsing from the metal beasts as they went. The buzzing feeling from the day before returned, and she gasped as the glow returned to her chest, the light making her feel warm from the inside out, like someone had poured liquid sunshine into her bones. She watched with wide eyes as the light began to grow, eventually spreading around the room in streams, seeping into the lion like veins made of pure light. She could feel the movement in the lions, and as her eyes closed, the vision from the first day came rushing back to her, light swirling around in her mind and merging together, a giant robotic warrior made from those beautiful streams of color forming all around her. Only this time she didn't immediately pass out, which made her take notice of the peculiar thing surrounding her. The robot was not the only thing surrounding her; as her eyes adjusted to the light, she noticed she was in some light form that seemed to be pulsing. 

No, it's not pulsing. It's... beating. That's a heartbeat. Am I inside of a heart? Her hand reached out to touch the light surrounding her, the light warm to the touch, flowing around her hand like a stream. As her hand fell back her eyes slowly drifted close and the lights all around her slowly faded, her body finally giving out as she passed out for the second time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Her eyes slowly opened, slowly adjusting to light of the sun as she realized she was being carried inside by someone. She groaned. 

"Sleeping beauty's finally awake," Keith teased, walking up beside whoever was carrying her. 

"Easy, Keith," Shiro scolded softly. She realized he was the one currently carrying her, and immediately guilt filled her gut, making it twist uncomfortably. 

"I passed out again?" she said weakly. Shiro looked down at her with worried eyes. 

"You did. Do you know what happened?" he asked, keeping his voice gentle, almost like he was worried if he spoke to loud she would crack like glass.

"No, I'm not really sure," she admitted. "My chest just started glowing again, and then when I closed my eyes I saw this huge robot warrior made out of light and I was trapped in the middle of it, inside this weird heart shaped thing.” He gave her an odd look and she sighed. “It's been a strange few hours," she finished, yawning. "Did I miss anything important?" 

Shiro shook his head. "No, we just wanted to make sure you're okay. Lets get you something to drink and something to eat, you need to take it easy," Shiro said, looking back up towards where he was going. 

"You don't have to take care of me, Shiro. I'm fine, I can probably walk on my own," she said, trying to wiggle out of his grip. Shiro stubbornly held tight.

"You should still take it easy. Besides, I can see how exhausted you are, I doubt you would be able to get very far," Shiro said, giving her a stern look. She sighed. 

"I don't like you guys keep having to come help me," she said, finally just giving in and relaxing in Shiro's arms. He didn't seem to notice the change, he simply continued to move forward. 

"Stop passing out and needing rescuing then," Keith retorted. She scowled. 

"My goodness, why didn't I think of that?" she shot back sarcastically. 

"Don't feel bad, I'm just a genius," he said, grinning. 

"Well, that's one word for it," she said. He paused, confused for a moment. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" he snapped. She smirked. 

"You tell me, genius," she teased. 

"That's enough," Shiro said, and she laughed softly. 

"Sorry," she apologized. Keith huffed and turned away, though it only seemed to be half hearted. If she had to guess, she would think he wasn't actually angry with her, just pretending to be. The thought made her smile, knowing she could goof around with him in a way that wouldn't hurt him. 

"Should we put you in a pod again?" Shiro asked. She shook her head. 

"I don't think I'm passing out because of injuries, Shiro. Its something to do with my chest glowing, I just don't know how or why," she said, yawning again.

"You're still tired? You just woke up!" Hunk exclaimed. She looked over at Hunk with a shy smile. 

"I can't help it?" she said. 

"Hello, paladins!" Coran greeted as they walked into a small dining room area, Lance and Keith arguing behind Shiro. 

"Hey, Coran," she greeted with a small wave. 

"Coran, is there some kind of weird sickness that makes someone chest glow and pass out a lot? Cause if there is Kat got it," Lance joked. Coran frowned. 

"No, not to my knowledge," Corran said. "Are you alright, Miss Kat?" he asked worriedly. 

"I'm a little tired, but other then that I feel alright. Shiro just decided that he wanted to carry me because he thought I wouldn't be able to walk," she said, giving Shiro a pointed look. Shiro sighed. 

"Let's just get you something to eat. All of you, let's eat," Shiro said, setting her down in a chair.

"Oh, that reminds me! I made you guys an authentic paladin lunch!" Coran said, setting a plate down on the table. Her nose crinkled up in disgust. 

"I don't think I'll be eating that," she said, the rest of the team having very similar reactions. 

"Come on, Coran, you've got so much here to work with! We've got all these alien spices and herbs and this, which I think is a tuber? I'm gonna go to the kitchen to cook up something better to eat," Hunk said, walking away. Shiro left not long after, leaving her, Lance, and Keith all in the same room, which was just destined for disaster. 

"So, haven't figured out why you keep passing out, sleeping beauty?" Lance teased, having picked up on the nickname Keith had given her.

"I pass out twice and that's the name I get? Really?" she said, rolling her eyes. 

"It's not like it's normal for people to pass out even one time," Keith pointed out. She shook her head, a small smile on her face. 

"You two are just ridiculous," she said.

"I will take that as a compliment," Lance said with a grin. 

"Take it was whatever you want, I don't care. I was just stating facts," she said with a light shrug. She ran a hand through her hair and sat back in her chair, closing her eyes with a sigh. She could feel the look Lance and Keith shared without having to open her eyes.

"You sure you're okay? You kind of seem... not okay," Lance asked worriedly. 

"Well put, Lance," Keith hissed.

"Shut up, I'm worried," Lance snapped. 

"Boys, stop fighting, you're not helping," she said, still not opening her eyes. Keith and Lance both got quiet.

"Maybe you should go lie down," Keith said hesitantly. She let out a frustrated groan.

"Guys, seriously, you don't have to worry about me so much. I can take care of myself," she said snippily. Her chest ached at the comment, which she found odd, since she was the one making it. Why did saying that make her feel so sick inside? Why did it make tears begin to well up in her eyes? It was what she wanted, wasn't it? 

I'm just keeping them safe and happy, so why does saying that make me feel so hollow? Why does trying to make them less worried and concerned make me feel like breaking down and crying? Why can't my heart make up it's damn mind?

"I'm back!" Hunk said cheerfully, dropping three bowls of food in front of Keith, Lance, and herself. "Eat up, guys." 

Keith and Lance both dug in immediately, Hunk smiling proudly at them. As they both complimented Hunk on his good work and enthusiastically ate their food, she sat and thought back to what was happening to her. The glowing, the visions, what did they all mean? Why was this happening to her. 

She jumped as alarms began to go off, immediately almost falling out of her chair. "What's happening?" she asked.

"What is that?!" Keith exclaimed. 

"I don't know what it is. Maybe it's a local Arusian," Allura said. "He's approaching the castle," she added. She hadn't even noticed Allura walk in in the first place. Maybe I should get some rest, but only after all of this is over.

"Aw," Hunk gushed, his hands coming up to his face as he smiled. 

"Doesn't look too dangerous," Lance said with a smile. 

"You never know," Keith pointed out, both boys apparently standing. Jesus, how did I survive torture when my brain is so bad at noticing things?

"No," Allura cut in, seeing Keith pull some sort of weapon out of his pocket. "Alteans believe in peace first. Let's go welcome them," she finished, before turning around and running off. 

"That's adorable," Hunk said, following behind Allura.

"Hey, maybe we can knit him a little sweater!" Lance added, following behind Hunk. 

"I'm not taking any chances," Keith said, keeping his weapon out. She stood to follow them. "You should stay here," Keith told her, a stern look on his face. He didn't carry the same authority Shiro did, so she paid no mind to the stern look on his face. 

"I'm not missing out on something else today," she stated stubbornly, running off in the direction the rest of them went off in, hearing Keith sigh before following behind her.

She joined the group as they walked outside, standing in front of the plants the little alien creature they had noticed before, which she hadn't, had dove into to take cover.

"Greetings," Allura said. "We know you're there. No harm will come to you." She watched, a bright smile coming to her face as the alien creature jumped out at them, holding a little sword, a fierce look on it's cute face. 

"Aw," Hunk said, smiling and bringing his hands up again.

"Wait! He could be dangerous. Drop you weapon!" Keith ordered, stepping in front of the group protectively. 

"No one takes Klaizap's weapon!" the alien fired back, aiming his sword at Keith. Panic struck her chest and she took a step forward, before Allura put a hand up to stop her from stepping in.

"Keith, put that away!" Allura scolded. "Please, kind sir, accept my most humble apologies," Allura said to Klaizap. 

Klaizao looked confused for a moment, before shaking it off, straightening himself. "I am Klaizap, bravest of our warriors. Our village is over Gazrel Hill. I've come seeking answers as to why the Lion Goddess is angered with her followers," Klaizap introduced. 

"Followers?" Coran said.

"Lion Goddess?" Hunk added. Are they talking about the lions? I guess Allura's castle has been here long enough and been dormant for enough time that they could have misunderstood what it was.

"The one the ancients spoke of," Klaizap said, gesturing to a rock with a carving on it of a lion dressed in robes, more creatures that looked like Klaizap praying to it.

Allura looked confused for a moment, before looking down at Klaizap with a soft smile. "What makes you think she's angered?" she asked gently.

"Destruction is everywhere. In the past few suns, fire has rained from the heavens and a giant danced in the sky," Klaizap said, waving his arms around for theatrical affect as he spoke. That's right, they would have been affected from the fighting to. Those poor villagers... Visions of families being torn apart filled her head and she lightly shook it out to get the dark images out of her mind.

"I think he's talking about Voltron," Hunk whispered to Lance. She snorted.

"Yeah, I got that," Lance said with a slightly annoyed look.

"You have not angered the Lion Goddess," Allura told Klaizap with a smile. 

"How can you be certain?" Klaizap asked, a worried look on his face. 

"Because I am Allura and this is my castle," Allura said, looking at the castle to help prove her point. Klaizap gasped. 

"Lion Goddess!" he exclaimed, bowing to Allura. They think Allura's the Lion Goddess? I suppose she does have the looks for it.

"Please, bravest warrior, take us to your village so that we may meet our neighbors," Allura said.

"What about our mission to get off this planet and fight Zarkon?" Keith asked.

"Part of the paladins' mission is to spread peace and diplomacy. Arus has been our host for 10,000 years. These people deserve our thanks," Allura told Keith with a smile.

"She's got a point," she said with a smirk. Keith sighed. 

"Fine," Keith said, putting the strange weapon away.

"To your lions," Allura said. 

"Dibs on Kat!" Lance cheered. She laughed. 

"Why on earth do you think you can call dibs on a person?" she fired back with a grin. 

"Well you have to get there somehow," Lance pointed out with a grin. She giggled. 

"And if I refuse I will still get there, because the last time I checked, I have my own free will and can definitely go there with someone else," she shot back. Lance sputtered for a few seconds, trying to find a response, and she laughed. "Victory is mine!" she cheered. 

"Nice one, blondie," Keith said, ruffling her hair. 

"Hey, no fair! You're taller then me!" she whined playfully, walking out of Keith's reach.

"Paladins, let's go!" Allura called, waiting for them with a smile. They all laughed and went inside, her chest feeling lighter then before. She was starting to bond with the team, and she couldn't be more excited about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was waaaaaaaaaay longer then I expected so I apologize. As always, feel free to point out any errors! I love you all so much.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I hope you all enjoy the story, please leave kudos and comment if you do! Any support you can offer would be great. This is my first fic on here so I apologize if some of the work seems sloppy, I will try and keep it as clean as possible. If there are any errors please feel free to correct me, I don't mind you telling me if something is wrong! That just means it will be better for the next person. I love you all so, if any of the content in this story bothers you and is triggering please feel free to simply just leave, you are in no way obligated to read this story. I want you all to stay safe and happy, don't push yourself! Keep on shining my beautiful shooting stars <3


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